SaaS providers cut costs, but users won't get discounts

Nine out of ten software-as-a-service providers will rely on open source software by 2010 to save money, but the cost savings likely won't be passed onto customers, Gartner says in a new research note. ...continue reading 'SaaS providers cut costs, but users won't get discounts'

Microsoft hints at Live Mesh launch

Microsoft plans to launch its Live Mesh offering next week at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco but so far is not revealing details of the service. ...continue reading 'Microsoft hints at Live Mesh launch'

Salesforce announces integration with Google Apps

Salesforce has integrated Google's online productivity applications with its on-demand CRM (customer relationship management) offerings. The deal heightens an existing partnership between the companies, marked in part by their pact to plug Google's AdWords service into Salesforce. ...continue reading 'Salesforce announces integration with Google Apps'

Startup pushes virtual labs as a service

Seattle startup Skytap is set to debut virtual labs-as-a-service software that will let development teams create multiple test machines in various configurations without tying up much hardware. ...continue reading 'Startup pushes virtual labs as a service'

Study: Enterprises warm up to SAAS, but concerns remain

Adoption of hosted applications among large companies jumped last year, but many CIOs and IT managers will not consider these software-as-a-service (SAAS) products due to concerns about security, cost and integration, according to a Forrester Research study. ...continue reading 'Study: Enterprises warm up to SAAS, but concerns remain'

Analysts: Google must upgrade hosted apps to appeal to IT

Google Inc. must provide stronger data models along with role-based access and records management archiving capabilities before most IT managers will take its Google Apps hosted application suite seriously, analysts said this week. ...continue reading 'Analysts: Google must upgrade hosted apps to appeal to IT'

Hosted SharePoint stifles partners, for now

Microsoft's announcement on Monday that it would host SharePoint for businesses of any size left some third-party software providers surprised -- and even annoyed. ...continue reading 'Hosted SharePoint stifles partners, for now'

Microsoft Workspace opens to broader availability

Microsoft is set to announce general availability of the free online component of Office on Tuesday. ...continue reading 'Microsoft Workspace opens to broader availability'

Microsoft expands hosted software offering for business

Microsoft said Monday it will let smaller businesses use some of its key software applications over the Internet later this year, a sign of the company's rapid move to the Internet-centric computing favored by competitors Google and Salesforce.com. ...continue reading 'Microsoft expands hosted software offering for business'

Google intros Apps edition to bypass the IT department

Google is releasing a new edition of its hosted applications suite that end-users can bring into the workplace without the involvement of their IT department. ...continue reading 'Google intros Apps edition to bypass the IT department'